They met in a bar in Tokyo
by ccwillbe
Summary: Just a little story I wrote about a fandom and pairing I used to love. Hotch/Prentiss. Rated M but nothing too graphic.
1. Chapter 1

_I haven't really been following Criminal Minds since Prentiss left, but I was feeling a little nostalgic today. Just something quick I wrote about a pairing I used to love._

* * *

They meet in a hotel bar in Tokyo. He was on a conference and she was just there.

"How have you been, Emily?" Despite their history they remained two seats apart.

"Good... Good." She says, though he's always been able to read her, and she's always been able to tell when he's profiling her. She get's it though. It's hard not to now. 'How's the team?"

They had all promised to stay in touch when she left. But work had gotten in the way like it always does. Communication was a two way street and Emily guessed that no one really had the energy anymore.

"Well, Reid is doing well. He likes not being the youngest on the team anymore. But as for everyone else I wouldn't know." He took a sip from his glass. Emily didn't have to ask why. Three months ago she had received an email from JJ, it was the last she ever heard from any of them. JJ finally decided to quit the bureau and raise her kids the way she wanted; Rossi had retired, and was on his way to wife number five; Morgan was still at the bureau but was leading his own team; and Garcia was lecturing at several universities. The thought of Garcia speaking in front of a group of students clad in pink skirts and feathery hair ties made Emily smile. But then she remembered how she never replied to JJ's email. She didn't have the courage to – and that smile drifted.

Hotch broke Emily's train of thought at the right moment. "What have you been doing, Emily?"

She fiddled with the straw in her drink. "I'm not sure."

Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. "How's Interpol?"

"I don't know." She didn't know, truly. She had quit the job almost as soon as it began. She didn't want anyone to get their hopes up so she didn't tell them. She's been traveling around the world trying to find _something_ that would lead her to the next chapter in her life but there was nothing. Just old memories of a lonely childhood spent in foreign lands.

They sat in silence for a little while, soft jazz lingering in the background. Emily could tell by the way he didn't look at her and the way he didn't ask too many questions that he was still bitter.

"What room are you staying in?" He finally asked, swigging the last of his drink.

They fucked that night.

It was strangely intimate. It wasn't the hard, rough sex she had imagined she would have with Hotch. He took care of her and took his time with her. He called her _Prentiss. _That was when she realized he was probably the one person from her past she missed the most. She wondered if she was his.  
~*~

"What happened with Beth?" she asked because she knew Hotch wasn't a cheater. Sitting at the edge of the bed, she clasped her bra in place and watched the muscles in his back tense. Last she knew they were still in their 'honeymoon' phase and happier than ever. At least that's what JJ had described.

"It just didn't work out." He replied. JJ did always see everything through rose-colored glasses. Emily wondered if Beth was a cheater.

"Are you…" She felt vulnerable. "Going to stay?"

"Do you want me to?" His voice was steady and layered. He didn't turn around to see her eyes, her flushed face. If he had he wouldn't have had to ask.

"I… I don't know." She hated herself for how indecisive she had gotten. How childish and unsure. Her compartmentalizing skills were rusty and she felt like the college-bound kid she was when she first met him. He nodded and picked the shirt that Emily had been using as a point of focus off the floor. Her eyes watered but she let him go.


	2. Chapter 2

They met again though this time the years had caught up with them and they had the features to show for it. Hotch's hair was streaked with white and Emily's face had lines that brought out her smile and gave her an air of elegance.

It was Washington. They stood under a tree decorated with green and red lights. They were leaning on the fence and their faces were pointed upwards to the sparkling star atop it for minutes before they noticed each other.

"Emily!" It was as if the crowd parted itself. He had a sparkle in his eye but it must have been the lighting. "How have you been?!" Hotch drew her into a hug and it was strange but not unwelcome. He wore a long trench coat and a burgundy tie and he just looked _happy. _He smelled even better.

"I'm good." He looked at her quizzically but she really meant it this time. Since their meeting Emily had changed her life around. She worked in a flower shop and did a little translating on the side. It wasn't the hectic life she once craved, but she didn't have to force herself to compartmentalize anymore – and that was the best part. She stayed in a humble loft in Paris most of the time. Extravagant apartments weren't her thing anymore. And she still traveled; only it wasn't just to escape anymore. "Still profiling me, I see."

"Only because I worry."

"You don't need to, really… How's Jack?"

"He's great. He's… a teenager."

Emily laughed. "Don't worry, if he turns out half the man his father is, he'll be fine. Trust me, I've been the worst of it." Hotch looked a bit puzzled - it amused her.

"So you really are good then?" Emily nodded sincerely and he believed her. She wanted to ask about Reid, Garcia, Morgan and JJ and Rossi. Despite how much she tried not to, she still thought about them all the time. And so did they, judging by the hoards of Christmas and birthday cards and letters she found at her old apartment. It was nice to be thought of but it also make her feel guilty. That was why, for so long, she avoided the first place she called home.

"How long are you staying?" His words made her blush a little - they reminded her of Tokyo. The truth was that she had only planned to stay the night.

"I'm not sure. I didn't really plan anything." They were almost shouting, the rustle and bustle of tourists and locals made it hard to talk.

"That doesn't sound like the Emily I know." That made her wonder if that was a bad or a good thing.

It was obvious that they would end up back here again. It was his room this time though. It turned out that he and Jack had moved out of D.C a while back ago. Hotch was teaching at a local university and he said he missed the bureau a little less every day.

Awkward banter ensued from the moment she stepped inside. They weren't there to chat and they both knew it. Hotch didn't turn the lights on, a glow from outside lit the room. She said she was too old for this sort of thing, and he commented on his whitening hair. She called it festive and he kissed her in the middle of a laugh.

They spent the next few weeks together. They spent days in cafés and shopping centres. They rediscovered museums and parks. They spent New Year's Eve on top of the highest building they could find, drinking champagne and staring into each others eyes. Nights were consumed nestled in bed together. But most of all they just talked. And that was enough, she thought.

It was at the airport, in that same trench coat, where he told her to stay. But she was already gone. There were distant voices that she followed, calling for her to board the plane and his that told her he'd go with her, which she walked away from. She didn't turn back because it was never that easy. It was just a melancholy reality that she had snapped back to the present before him. He had given her new memories and that was the best gift he could have ever given her.

* * *

Not sure why I wrote this because most of the time I like to leave things the way they ended. Mostly out of fear that a 'sequel' would ruin it. Anyway, despite myself I decided to post it. I hope you guys think its ok.

Thanks for reading


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